CNN
—
President Joe Biden told Democratic governors During a meeting at the White House On Wednesday, three sources briefed on his comments said part of his plan was to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so he could get more sleep.
Comments, first reported The New York TimesBiden, 81, sought to reassure a group of more than 20 heads of state about his ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November and effectively govern for another four years.
01:37 – Source: CNN
‘It’s inappropriate’: Jean-Pierre responds to comments during White House briefing
Biden’s comment frustrated many of the governors in the room, sources told CNN, and was one of the reasons why some of the attendees were rankled by a message of loyalty and enthusiasm distributed by the Biden campaign on Thursday.
The White House did not immediately comment on the president’s remarks. A Biden campaign aide argued that, as well as preparing for the debate in the week after his two trips to Europe, Biden was doing official work in addition to his campaign work hours.
“President (George W.) Bush went to bed at 9, and President (Barack) Obama had dinner at 6:30,” said Kevin Munoz, a Biden campaign spokesman. “Normal presidents strike a balance, and so does Joe Biden. Truth spends half his day on social media and the other half golfing about the same austerity, recession-causing plans as Donald Trump.
Biden also made a joke to the governors that didn’t go over well: “I’m fine — I don’t know about my brain.” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chairman, said the president was “obviously making a joke and then ‘making fun of everything.'”
Because of Biden’s poor performance CNN’s Presidential Debate Last week, some Democrats started doing just that Call for the President to resign The White House is scrambling to convince skeptics across race, party and voters. In the days that followed, administration officials offered confusing and conflicting explanations as they tried to spin a performance that fueled voters’ concerns about Biden’s age.
Following the meeting, Maryland’s Wes Moore, New York’s Kathy Hochul and Minnesota’s Tim Walls painted a positive picture of the meeting during a news conference, saying Biden was “all in” and “wanted to win it.”
In response to a reporter’s question, Walls dismissed concerns about Biden’s age and health. The president is “fit for office.”
Biden, the oldest president in US history, has faced questions about his age and health over the years. They came to a head during the debate, which was raucous and sometimes incoherent, leaving Trump — only three years younger than Biden — appearing more suited. A majority of debate viewers saw the former president as the stand-off winner CNN poll.
Biden’s debate performance opened the floodgates for further scrutiny and reporting on the president’s health, with sources detailing a decline in his mental health.
The New York Times reported earlier this week The president’s “mistakes” have increased Even more troubling, a source told the Times that Biden’s six-day debate preparations at Camp David didn’t start before 11 a.m., and that the president was given time to sleep each day.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre dodged a question during Wednesday’s briefing about whether the president takes a daily afternoon nap following the Times’ report. But Biden offered jet lag and travel fatigue as explanations for Biden’s poor debate performance after he caught a cold earlier.
Amid growing pressure to consider dropping out of the race and growing concern over whether he can serve another term, CNN previously reported that Biden privately said the next few days will be crucial to whether he can. save his re-election bid.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Kaanita Iyer, Jack Forrest, MJ Lee and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
